| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 1 | Page : 10-16 |
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Health Concerns of Older Adults: Observations from a Survey and Public Education Programme in Bhubaneswar, India
Shreyan Kar1, Tushar Kanti Das2, Prasanta Kumar Mohapatra3, Brajaballav Kar4, Anupama Senapati5, Nilamadhab Kar6
1 MBChB Student, University of Birmingham, UK
2 Director of Medical Services at J. G. Hospital, TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited, Jharsuguda, India
3 Consultant Psychiatrist, Odisha Medical and Health Services, Government of Odisha, India
4 Associate Professor, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India
5 Assistant Professor, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India
6 Consultant Psychiatrist, Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wolverhampton, UK
Correspondence Address:
Nilamadhab Kar
Steps to Health, Showell Circus, Low Hill, Wolverhampton, WV10 9TH, Wolverhampton
UK
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.35262/jiag.v15i1.l0-16
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Background: While it is apparent that old age is associated with multiple health concerns, the extent of its multiplicity and burden is often not clear. It was intended to find out self-reported health concerns for one month and cardiovascular risk factors in middle and older adults. Methods: In the cross-sectional survey, attendees of a Healthy Ageing Conference were approached with a semi-structured questionnaire about their health concerns and cardiovascular risks. Risk of a cardiovascular event in 10 years based on QRISK3 was calculated. Results: A considerable proportion of older adults had a range of physical symptoms, depressive mood state and memory problems. Mean number of health problems reported were 4.8±3.3 (male 4.4±3.1 and female 5.0±4.3). Cardiovascular risk was high, mean QRISK3 score for males were 22.2% (±14.4), and for females 10.3% (±6.6) (p<0.05). On average, the heart age was increased by 7.9±6.2 years (8.6±6.6 years for males and 5.0±3.3 for females). The relative risk of participants was 2.1 for males and 1.5 for females for heart attack or stroke within the ten years, compared to healthy persons. The symptoms and risk factors were elicited easily, and the process probably facilitated improving the awareness about the health concerns holistically. The survey also identified issues related to the engagement of older adults in the existing health care systems. Conclusions: The results suggested that questionnaire-based health screening in a community can identify a range of health concerns and identify multi-morbidity in general and cardiovascular risks in particular. This process may help to focus on the appropriate public health awareness and intervention programmes required in the community.
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